A new Oregon poll by national pollster, Wenzel Strategies, and the Taxpayer Association of Oregon PAC shows that voter sentiment to replace Governor John Kitzhaber has now reached the majority of Oregon voters.

- A surprising 55% of voters told pollsters it is “time for someone new” to be governor. (Poll Data)

- This is 6% higher than a similar Oregon Public Broadcasting poll done the previous month where 49% of Oregon voters said Kitzhaber “should not be re-elected”. (1)

The poll reflects plummeting bad news for Kitzhaber and a rising opportunity for challenger candidate State Representative Dennis Richardson.

“The spike of Kitzhaber negativity can be directly attributed to a recent string of bad news national in scope over Oregon’s performance, for what we are calling the 100 Days Media Meltdown”, says Jason Williams, Director of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon PAC. Williams explains, “In the past 100 days, there have been seven colossal Oregon failures stories, with many of these headlines carrying a national perspective.

7 factors contribute to the 100 Day Media Meltdown….

1. In March, the 2014 Special Session ended with no CRC bridge plan which became a regional disaster after wasting an extraordinary $200 million of taxpayer dollars with no bridge.

4. In May, Oregon was rated among top 5 food stamp states in the nation (3)

5. In May, Oregon scored the lowest labor participation rate on record (4)

6. In May, Kitzhaber had to pull his healthcare policy advisor from nomination further expanding his health care debacle. (5)

7. In June, Oregon was rated as having the 5th worst waiting time for veterans new patient primary care.” (6)

“All of these stories show how Kitzhaber’s failures impact people’s everyday lives (DMV wait times, veteran wait times, highway traffic jams, record job losses) only to be compounded by national news that we fare worse than other states. The two forces working together create a stark repulsion and fatigue with Governor Kitzhaber’s failed governorship. It is going to be hard for Kitzhaber to undo the failure that people both feel and read in the newspapers.” Said Jason Williams.

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A fourth term undeserved, unwarranted and ludicrous. Kitzhaber’s no FDR by any stretch.

DENNIS RICHARDSON bodes excellent leadership of our state and one who at least respects the Oregon’s constitution and laws on the books.

On the other hand, if voting for someone on the right a tad too disturbing for a DNC partyliner, consider writing-in Jason Conger verging on making a left turn like Wayne Morse. .

Bob Clark

This is a good summary of the mediocrity of more than two decades of ever expanding, top down state government orchestrated by governors Kitzhaber and Kulongoski. These two help create a ballooning welfare state while implementing onerous and costly regulations, offering in their place the mirage of so-called green jobs and free government services to help lift folks at the bottom. But the opposite is the effect of such good intentions. Only now does Kitzhaber start to talk about the perverse incentive of our state economic system, which penalizes work effort while rewarding living off the dole.

Representative Richardson offers a better governance but he is most likely in a chicken and egg situation whereby to build name recognition and fast he needs money; but he can’t get money because he doesn’t have sufficient name recognition as yet.

I am still curious why the Oregon Republican party leaders didn’t pursue a candidate already possessing name recognition. Chris Dudley had name recognition but was a novice and didn’t debate well; but his name recognition came so very close to defeating the almost legendary Kitzhaber. Now that Kitzhaber’s legendary status has been toppled by the results of his governance, we don’t have a GOP candidate with name recognition.

guest

Gordon Smith and Jason Conger have name recognition and both ostensibly more desirable than the performances of Merkley and Kitzhaber.

Alas, RINO’s are apparently not welcome at the State DNC [animal farm] unless they suck up all what the keepers feed ‘em.

Too bad for Oregonians, yet not too late to recognize Dennis Richardson in content and context – NOW is the time for such a good man to come to our aid -and govern come November, stately, justly and rightfully so.

thevillageidiot

Problem is all the “factors” did not happen in just the last 100 days. Oregon has been traveling this road for the last three decades. As stated yesterday this is all part of the cost of liberalism.

Myke

Well, no surprise, no surprise. Apparently, its not that Oregon isn’t governable, its that Kitzhaber can’t govern! We all learned something today. OK, those who haven’t been awake for the last 20+ years may have learned something, one can only hope. Time to get on board Dennis Richardson’s train. Spread the word, “change be a comin’, and y’all gonna have to go work for it.”

Jack Lord God

With a list of screw ups as long as Kitzhaber has, the fact that he is only at 55% negative tells you all you need to know.

The record is plain. Kitzhaber has demonstrated an attention to the job coupled with a level of incompetence, that would preclude most anyone from being entrusted with the office of class president, let alone a governorship. Yet he is only at 55% negative.

Oregon is a state where people vote party not brains. As long as the gravy train keeps flowing to the unions, the man is a shoe in.